Skip to main content

Editorial Content for Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Mysteries with senior citizens are jumping out of the woodwork, and many of them are delightful. Add AGNES SHARP AND THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME to that growing list. Leonie Swann does an excellent job balancing the third person narrative from the viewpoints of the many octogenarians and septuagenarians who live together at Sunset Hall in the tiny English hamlet of Duck End. Agnes, the title character, is a retired police officer; while she is a bit scatterbrained, she also is good at happening upon murder victims. Read More

Teaser

Agnes, Charlie, Marshall and the other elderly residents of Sunset Hall are going stir-crazy at home. And to top it all off, another series of murders is rocking the hamlet of Duck End. So when Edwina manages to slip onto Marshall’s computer in an unobserved moment and promptly wins a stay in an exclusive coastal hotel in Cornwall, the Sunset Hall crew waste no time in joining her. But Agnes sees something unsettling from the terrace of the hotel: two figures in hoods walk away from the hotel along the cliffs, but only one returns. Worried she’s witnessed a murder, Agnes tells the others. At first nobody really believes her. But when the hotel ends up isolated from the outside world after a storm, it becomes clear that a murderer really is on the loose --- and they’re trapped, just like all of the other guests.

Promo

Agnes, Charlie, Marshall and the other elderly residents of Sunset Hall are going stir-crazy at home. And to top it all off, another series of murders is rocking the hamlet of Duck End. So when Edwina manages to slip onto Marshall’s computer in an unobserved moment and promptly wins a stay in an exclusive coastal hotel in Cornwall, the Sunset Hall crew waste no time in joining her. But Agnes sees something unsettling from the terrace of the hotel: two figures in hoods walk away from the hotel along the cliffs, but only one returns. Worried she’s witnessed a murder, Agnes tells the others. At first nobody really believes her. But when the hotel ends up isolated from the outside world after a storm, it becomes clear that a murderer really is on the loose --- and they’re trapped, just like all of the other guests.

About the Book

This highly anticipated follow-up to THE SUNSET YEARS OF AGNES SHARP finds Agnes and her octogenarian friends face-to-face with a killer after winning a trip to a beautiful hotel in the seaside town of Cornwall.

The year is rapidly drawing to an end, Hettie the tortoise is hibernating and Agnes, Charlie, Marshall and the other elderly residents of Sunset Hall are going stir-crazy at home. They’ve had enough of the broken boiler, draughty bedrooms and Christmas jingles on the radio. And to top it all off, another series of murders is rocking the hamlet of Duck End. It seems like every villager and his dog is trying to make up for all of the thwarted murders of the past 30 years.

Most unpleasant! The residents of Sunset Hall don’t want anything to do with the criminal activities. So when Edwina manages to slip onto Marshall’s computer in an unobserved moment and promptly wins a stay in an exclusive coastal hotel in Cornwall, the Sunset Hall crew doesn’t waste any time in deciding to join her. After all, Edwina can’t be left unsupervised.

But they’ve barely unpacked their bags when Agnes sees something unsettling from the terrace of the hotel: two figures in hoods walk away from the hotel along the cliffs, but only one returns. Worried she’s witnessed a murder, Agnes tells the others. At first nobody really believes her, after all the crew have enough to do working their way through the incredible menu, exploring the hotel’s wellness-landscape, navigating old and new love affairs, and adopting a boa constrictor. But when the hotel ends up isolated from the outside world after a storm, it becomes clear that a murderer really is on the loose --- and they’re trapped, just like all of the other guests.

Audiobook available, read by Moira Quirk

Editorial Content for All the Way Gone: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

I love Joanna Schaffhausen’s books featuring newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega. ALL THE WAY GONE is the fourth entry in a series that includes GONE FOR GOOD, LONG GONE and DEAD AND GONE, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Read More

Teaser

Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client, Mara Delaney, insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered on Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning. Dr. Canning has saved hundreds of lives, so it shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t actually care about his patients, should it? But Mara has a more urgent problem. She is now concerned that Canning might not be such a good sociopath after all. A young woman in Canning’s apartment building mysteriously plunged to her death from a balcony, and Mara fears Canning could be responsible. She needs to uncover the truth about Canning before the book comes out, so Annalisa has little time to search for answers.

Promo

Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client, Mara Delaney, insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered on Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning. Dr. Canning has saved hundreds of lives, so it shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t actually care about his patients, should it? But Mara has a more urgent problem. She is now concerned that Canning might not be such a good sociopath after all. A young woman in Canning’s apartment building mysteriously plunged to her death from a balcony, and Mara fears Canning could be responsible. She needs to uncover the truth about Canning before the book comes out, so Annalisa has little time to search for answers.

About the Book

The fourth installment in the beloved Detective Annalisa Vega series.

Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client, Mara Delaney, insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered on Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning. Dr. Canning has saved hundreds of lives so it shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t actually care about his patients, should it? But Mara has a more urgent problem, she is now concerned that Canning might not be such a good sociopath after all. A young woman in Canning’s apartment building mysteriously plunged to her death from a balcony, and Mara fears Canning could be responsible. She needs to uncover the truth about Canning before the book comes out, so Annalisa has little time to search for answers.

Annalisa quickly discovers that more than one person wanted the young woman dead. Canning insists he didn’t do it. His charming, unflappable demeanor suggests that either he’s telling the truth or Mara is right and he’s cold-hearted to the core. But the cops believe the girl’s death was an accident. The more Annalisa probes, the more she becomes convinced it’s a fiendishly clever murder, one only a brilliant psychopath could pull off. She draws deeper into a battle of wits with Canning, so determined to prove his guilt that she forgets Mara’s most important warning --- that sociopaths only care about winning at all costs. When Annalisa finally peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the horrifying truth of the girl’s death, she may be too late to save herself.

Audiobook available, read by Kelsey Navarro Foster

Editorial Content for The Kill List: An Inspector Anjelica Henley Thriller

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

A serial killer known as “The Burier,” who murdered five young men and women 25 years ago, may be set free. In order for this to happen, the firm representing him must fully discredit a decorated police detective and prove that he mishandled the case and suppressed evidence. Read More

Teaser

Twenty-five years ago, DCI Harry Rhimes arrested Andrew Streeter for the brutal murders of five young people. Streeter’s "kill list" of victims was found in his home, and he was convicted of all five crimes. Now, Streeter’s convictions are being overturned, as new evidence implies the original investigation was corrupt. No one is more shocked than DI Anjelica Henley. Because this case is personal; Rhimes was her old boss, and he’s no longer alive to defend himself. But when the killings start up again, Henley must face the truth: Rhimes got it wrong 25 years ago. Henley and her team reopen the original murder cases, but they must put their personal feelings to one side. Because the real killer is still out there, and he’s working his way through a new kill list.

Promo

Twenty-five years ago, DCI Harry Rhimes arrested Andrew Streeter for the brutal murders of five young people. Streeter’s "kill list" of victims was found in his home, and he was convicted of all five crimes. Now, Streeter’s convictions are being overturned, as new evidence implies the original investigation was corrupt. No one is more shocked than DI Anjelica Henley. Because this case is personal; Rhimes was her old boss, and he’s no longer alive to defend himself. But when the killings start up again, Henley must face the truth: Rhimes got it wrong 25 years ago. Henley and her team reopen the original murder cases, but they must put their personal feelings to one side. Because the real killer is still out there, and he’s working his way through a new kill list.

About the Book

He will come for them, one by one. Five shocking murders.

Twenty-five years ago, DCI Harry Rhimes arrested Andrew Streeter for the brutal murders of five young people. Streeter’s "kill list" of victims was found in his home, and he was convicted of all five crimes.

A legacy under threat

Now, Streeter’s convictions are being overturned, as new evidence implies the original investigation was corrupt. No one is more shocked than DI Anjelica Henley. Because this case is personal; Rhimes was her old boss, and he’s no longer alive to defend himself. But when the killings start up again, Henley must face the truth: Rhimes got it wrong 25 years ago.

A hunt for a killer

Henley and her team reopen the original murder cases, but they must put their personal feelings to one side. Because the real killer is still out there, and he’s working his way through a new kill list.

Audiobook available, read by Diveen Henry

Editorial Content for Stories I Lived to Tell: An Appalachian Memoir

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Now in his early 90s, acclaimed writer and raconteur Gary Carden combines his memories, culture, familial patterns and poetic gifts in STORIES I LIVED TO TELL. Read More

Teaser

STORIES I LIVED TO TELL is more than a selection of stories from revered mountain storyteller Gary Carden. It is a testimony of a distinguished culture, sense of place and spirit of community that connects the Appalachian past to its present. This memoir-in-stories invites the reader to move beyond stereotypes to experience the scenes, characters and community of the author's childhood and formative years, intersecting with the regional folktales and mythologies that fired his imagination. It is not only a fascinating window into an Appalachian community in the middle of the 20th century but also an insightful reminder of who that community is today, in spite of the external changes.

Promo

STORIES I LIVED TO TELL is more than a selection of stories from revered mountain storyteller Gary Carden. It is a testimony of a distinguished culture, sense of place and spirit of community that connects the Appalachian past to its present. This memoir-in-stories invites the reader to move beyond stereotypes to experience the scenes, characters and community of the author's childhood and formative years, intersecting with the regional folktales and mythologies that fired his imagination. It is not only a fascinating window into an Appalachian community in the middle of the 20th century but also an insightful reminder of who that community is today, in spite of the external changes.

About the Book

STORIES I LIVED TO TELL is more than a selection of stories from revered mountain storyteller Gary Carden. It is a testimony of a distinguished culture, sense of place and spirit of community that connects the Appalachian past to its present.

This memoir-in-stories invites the reader to move beyond stereotypes to experience the scenes, characters and community of the author's childhood and formative years, intersecting with the regional folktales and mythologies that fired his imagination. It is not only a fascinating window into an Appalachian community in the middle of the 20th century but also an insightful reminder of who that community is today, in spite of the external changes.

Featuring an introduction by documentarian Neal Hutcheson, this book is a moving, often funny collection by a talented storyteller who cuts through cliche and sanctimony with his powerful words.

September 6, 2024

As planned, I thoroughly enjoyed my annual end-of-summer reading week. Lots of reading, lots of floating, and a fun afternoon with some of the kids and their moms from my book group. I think my favorite moment from the latter was their singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music.

As for books, here’s my roundup report. I loved THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, which will be out on September 17th. As she did with THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, Laura Dave hits all the right notes here. In it, a family patriarch who was a hotel magnate is found dead at the bottom of a cliff near a home that he loved. While it is first ruled an accident, further thought from two of his children (from different marriages) sparks an investigation. I have many folded-down pages for interview questions for Laura. And I found myself thinking a lot about interior and exterior design as I read it; the locations that she developed sound amazing. I love what she did with her characters conquering their own challenges while also unraveling a mystery. It will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection!

Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger

September 2024

While I have not read all 20 titles in the Cork O’Connor series, I have thoroughly enjoyed those that I have read. William Kent Krueger has a knack for delivering a new plot while also bringing in enough backstory that a newcomer does not feel lost. Just as importantly, he does not overwrite the backstory for longtime readers.

SPIRIT CROSSING, the latest installment, takes on an issue that I have so many thoughts on --- the marginalization of Native American women, especially when it comes to kidnapping, sex trafficking and murder. Here, the daughter of a prominent Minnesota politician has gone missing, and there is an active manhunt underway to find her. At the same time, Native American women have been disappearing, but the same tactics are not undertaken to find them.

Which of the following fiction titles releasing in September have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.

September 6, 2024, 802 voters

September 6, 2024 - September 20, 2024

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of September 6 - September 20.

Books, algorithms, civics and dragons. Oh my! The National Book Festival, hosted by the Library of Congress, is one of my favorite days of the year. August 24th marked the festival’s 24th anniversary! It’s been held on the mall, it’s been held at the convention center, it’s been virtual, and it’s been hybrid. Question my devotion? Here’s some evidence.

Interview: Mike Maden, author of Clive Cussler Ghost Soldier: A Novel of the Oregon Files

Sep 5, 2024

In CLIVE CUSSLER GHOST SOLDIER: A Novel of the Oregon Files, the pulse-pounding new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon have finally met their match. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House and Clive Cussler’s primary publicist at G.P. Putnam’s Sons from 1999 to 2015, Mike Maden talks about taking on the Oregon Files series for Cussler's estate and the feedback he has received from fans of these explosive thrillers. He also explains why he thinks some aspects of modern technology are having a negative impact on the publishing industry and, in particular, emerging writers.